| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T23: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Society for Biomaterials: Biomaterial Applications
|
| Presentation Title |
Crosslinked Microfluidic Protein-based Microgels for Cardiac Tissue Engineering |
| Author(s) |
Chao Liu, Douglas Wu, Valinteshley Pierre, Yiwen Gao, Sam Senyo |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Chao Liu |
| Abstract Scope |
The heart's decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) is a promising therapeutic biomaterial that can improve cardiac function, reduce fibrosis, and promote cell proliferation in infarcted heart models. Injecting dECM hydrogel in its sol state has demonstrated encouraging outcomes, but the retention at the injection site is limited, and there is a burst release of biologics. Electrospray dECM microparticles have shown extended stability in tissue, maintaining controlled protein release while preserving the regenerative effects. However, particle polydispersity and batch-to-batch variability have been challenging. Using an in-house designed microfluidic droplet generator, we investigated the parameters that determine droplet diameter by adjusting driving pressure and microfluidic dimensions. Optimization studies revealed that increased nozzle diameter and input pressure independently increased droplet diameter. We will evaluate the microfluidic generation and UV crosslinking of dECM microparticles, and investigate their in vitro and in vivo bioactivity, releasing profile, and regenerative effects in future studies. |